"She called me Jamsie," James said suddenly. He and his friends were walking to Potions just after lunch. James had spent much of Transfiguration and all of lunch glowering about the 'Raven Incident'. Sirius and Remus had spent it teasing him mercilessly about exactly the same thing, and Peter had spent it in the hospital wing, only just now having rejoined the group.
Remus grinned triumphantly at Sirius and, extending his hand, said, "I win, pay up!"
"Dammit, James," Sirius muttered, slapping the coins into Remus' waiting palm. "You were supposed to wait till class started."
"Well, gee Padfoot, if you'd told me, maybe I might have made more of an effort," James said sarcastically, skipping down a few stairs. "And maybe I would've told you two to stop betting on me."
"Yes, yes, we've had this conversation before," Remus interjected, counting out his money. "And what conclusion have we always come to?"
James sighed. "My obsession with Lily is too perfect, and Sirius too predictable, for Remus not to exploit," he recited dutifully. "Although, I'd like to make it known for the record that I do not have an obsession. I just think she's - "
" - Perfect in every single way?" Sirius suggested in the cheesiest voice imaginable.
" - An absolute goddess?" Peter asked, hand against his brow dramatically.
"No, no," Remus grinned. "she is a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named - "
"Aw, shut it you." James muttered, slapping him in the back of the head as they neared their dungeon classroom.
A few Slytherins who had been waiting for the teacher to arrive glanced up at the sharp smacking sound and glared at them.
Snape was one of them. He muttered something under his breath that sounded distinctly like "Blood traitor…"
Sirius growled slightly, catching James' attention.
"What was that, Snivellus?" he questioned loudly, taking a step forward with James at his side.
Severus said nothing, but stood to face them, glaring defiantly.
"What did he say?" James muttered out of the corner of his mouth.
"Blood traitor," Sirius responded just as quietly. James glared and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Severus, who immediately produced his own. They were standing like that, facing each other down with their wands pointed at each other, when Lily and Professor Slughorn walked around the corner, chatting.
"…never have been in Slytherin," Lily was saying with a smile. She stopped dead, taking in the sight before her. "James! Sirius! What are you doing?"
"Er, well, its like this," James began, dropping his wand hand to his side and turning around to explain. Severus gave Sirius one last scathing look and put his own wand away as well.
"Well, what's all this?" Slughorn asked. "Not dueling in the corridors, I hope. James, Severus? What was going on?"
"Well, sir," Severus said, glancing back at his fellow Slytherins. "I was just talking here with my group, and this Gryffindor just started attacking me."
Lily glowered at James, who quickly tried to save face.
"That's not true at all!" James said angrily. "He called Sirius something, and I was just defending him!"
"Mr. Potter, I hardly think name-calling is an excuse for dueling in the corridors!" Slughorn said, inflating his huge chest. "Now, I understand that OWL year is very taxing for some students, and maybe it's just stress from all that extra studying you're assuredly participating in. Am I correct?"
James frowned, but nodded sullenly, understanding that he was being given an out.
"Well, then, I suppose it's understandable for you to come close to breaking under the pressure, so I'll only take five points this time. Don't let it happen again, understand?"
"Yes, sir," James said, looking at his shoes crossly.
"Very good, very good," Slughorn said with a smile. "Now, James, Lily, Sirius and Severus. Avery, you too. I hope I'll be seeing you all at the little get together I have planned this weekend?"
They all muttered affirmatives and Slughorn opened the door to the classroom and ushered everyone inside to begin the lesson.
James stalked in, his friends trailing along behind him, and sat down at his normal seat toward the middle of the class. Lily glared at him as she passed, and took a seat further away from him than she usually did. Her friend followed, gifting him with a small glare, and smiling at Peter apologetically, presumably for the mouse episode.
Sirius winked at her.
"Lily," Matilda whispered as she sat down next to her friend, "Sirius just winked at me."
"Sirius winks at everyone," Lily said, still out of sorts about what had happened before class. "I think his eye just twitches every once in a while. Nothing to worry about, don't worry about it."
Matilda just nodded, and glanced back over at Sirius, who was whispering with what looked like a very moody James.
" - and I'll bet he did absolutely nothing to provoke him, James is such a pricks sometimes, and Mattie, are you listening to me?" Lily asked suddenly, jabbing Matilda in the side.
"Oh, of course, Lily dear." Matilda said absently.
"Gah. Just cut up the shrivelfigs, Mattie. Anyway, as I was saying, why do they always have to gang up on Severus like that? He doesn't do anything to them, they're just bullies, it's so immature…"
An hour later, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter left the potions dungeon, James still grumbling irritably.
"Bloody Snivellus, lose me five bloody points from Slughorn, stupid greasy slimy stupid Slytherin…"
"Aw, come on, James, it was just five points," Remus said placatingly as they walked up to the Great Hall for dinner.
"Yeah, you're still one of Slughorn's favorites," Peter muttered. "Unlike some of us."
"Snape embarrassed me!" James said indignantly. "In front of Lily! And he made it seem like I was ganging up on him again! Which I wasn't! I haven't gone out of my way to pick on him in a long time!"
"Yes, James, we've all heard the 'new leaf' speech a dozen times apiece," Sirius said, bypassing the Great Hall and heading for the stairs instead. "Now come with me, I need to drop something off in the dorm."
Remus and Peter turned to follow him, but he waved them off, saying it wasn't important enough for them all to be late for dinner.
"What do you need to get?" James asked as they headed up the stairs together.
Sirius grinned and mimicked floating around in the air. James grinned back and they both quickened their pace, eventually full out racing up the stairs.
And so, Lily spent dinner complaining to Mattie, Remus spent it with Peter, who was never very good conversation in the first place, least of all when he was eating, James and Sirius spent it out of their trees on Billywigs, and Severus Snape spent it doing what any normal Slytherin would do during dinner; which was eating.